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The Fifth Floor

Factual: Life Stories

Global stories from the BBC’s 40 Language Services, with Faranak Amidi

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services.

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services

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The Fifth Floor: Embedded with US Troops in Iraq

Nafiseh Kohnavar reporting from Iraq wearing flak jacket, helmet and Press sign (BBC)

18/01/2019 GMT

Embedded with US Troops in Iraq

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, Embedded with US Troops in Iraq

Combat showers, army rations, and lessons in Iranian culture:  BBC Persian in Iraq

BBC Persian on Iraq frontline; latinx, language and gender; Egypt’s new capital; Afghan village made with missiles; My Home Town Jos; China’s young Marxists.  With David Amanor.

The Americans plan to pull out of Syria but are continuing the fight against so-called Islamic State from a newly-built base just inside the Iraqi border.  Nafiseh Kohnavard of BBC Persian gained rare access and tells us about her experiences living alongside the troops.

What is Latinx? 
American Latinos, or people of Latin American origin, have created a new way of describing themselves avoiding the gender-specific terms Latino or Latina: Latinx.  Patricia Sulbaran of BBC Mundo in Los Angeles explores the idea behind the word. 

China's young Marxists
China has a new generation of young Marxists.  Although Marxism was the foundation for the People’s Republic of China these activists have been getting into trouble for protesting in favour of workers’ rights.   Howard Zhang of BBC Chinese tells the story of a high profile protester who hasn’t been seen in public since August.

Afghanistan's rocket village 
When Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan in 1979 they stored large quantities of BM21 missiles near a village close to the border.   Many were left there when the troops withdrew ten years later.  BBC Pashto’s Shoaib Sharifi discovered the alarming uses enterprising villagers put them to.  

My Home Town:  Jos, Nigeria
A journey through the clouds to breathe the fresh air of Jos in central Nigeria, the home town of BBC Africa's Peter Okwoche. 

Egypt's new capital
Work continues on Egypt's new administrative capital east of Cairo, where President  Abdul Fattah al-Sisi recently inaugurated a mosque and a cathedral.   But many Egyptians are not happy with this expense at a time of economic hardship, as Joana Saba of BBC Monitoring in Cairo explains. 

Image: Nafiseh Kohnavard reporting from Iraq
Credit: BBC

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